Comments by Ben in TXhttps://www.techdirt.com/
Easily digestible tech news....Pathetichttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120201/01064917617/beach-boys-go-after-artist-who-dared-to-paint-works-inspired-beach-boy-songs.shtml#c104
Thu, 2 Feb 2012 11:01:51 PSThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120201/01064917617/beach-boys-go-after-artist-who-dared-to-paint-works-inspired-beach-boy-songs.shtml#c104 So here's a golden troll opportunity and they jump on it. I don't expect much else from washed up losers like these guys. I hope they reach an agreement but I won't be surprised if they don't, or if any agreement they do make is totally unfair.

I may have to go torrent Endless Summer purely out of spite.]]>Thanks!https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111230/15322617240/new-years-message-optimism-innovation-to-power-to-make-difference.shtml#c233
Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:45:40 PSThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111230/15322617240/new-years-message-optimism-innovation-to-power-to-make-difference.shtml#c233 I think I know why your traffic has doubled in 6 months: 1. SOPA and other issues you cover gaining more visibility. 2. Honest, frank coverage and informed, untelligent suggestions; your contributions to the community. 3. Me posting so many lunks to TD on my Facebook news feed :-)

Thanks for a great year. Hope 2012 is even better.]]>Re: IS "just a case of a fairly ignorant guy abusing the DMCA".https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110907/09453415839/double-bogus-dmca-takedown-all-way.shtml#c750
Wed, 7 Sep 2011 23:45:06 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110907/09453415839/double-bogus-dmca-takedown-all-way.shtml#c750 Allowing any censorship of speech, especially just because someone 'doesn't like it,' inevitably leads to censorship of more speech which in all likelihood affect many others.

It's the principle behind it, and you and he are both WRONG.

How much did you earn for posting that comment?]]>Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110901/12231815769/insane-chain-sampling-rights-how-folk-song-collector-became-co-author-jay-z-song.shtml#c782
Fri, 2 Sep 2011 13:00:35 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110901/12231815769/insane-chain-sampling-rights-how-folk-song-collector-became-co-author-jay-z-song.shtml#c782 I love how you and a few others keep calling AC out for ignoring the parts which he doesn't agree with, yet he continues to do the same in his responses without ever denying that's what he's doing.

Keep on slaughtering him. I have enjoyed this thread... too bad AC will keep on trying to redefine FUD and ignore facts which don't fit into his worldview.]]>Re: Re: Re:https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110831/15234715756/puerto-80-appeals-asks-court-to-recognize-that-trampling-first-amendment-is-substantial-harm.shtml#c34
Thu, 1 Sep 2011 10:40:54 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110831/15234715756/puerto-80-appeals-asks-court-to-recognize-that-trampling-first-amendment-is-substantial-harm.shtml#c34 It seems to me that this should be determined by the court, not just arbitrarily decided by the Justice Department? That's the definition of prior restraint!!! Taking someone's rights away without any due process to determined if said speech is truly illegal (which it probably is NOT).

The simple fact that stifling speech is a 1st Amendment violation if there's no due process to determine if anything illegal was said. If you don't recognize this then you don't understand anything about the 1st.]]>Unbelievablehttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110810/15181315470/if-you-have-to-license-software-you-claim-infringes-your-patent-how-is-your-patent-valid.shtml#c97
Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:59:10 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110810/15181315470/if-you-have-to-license-software-you-claim-infringes-your-patent-how-is-your-patent-valid.shtml#c97 This behavior should be criminal, and should come attached to jail time. I'm sick and tired of reading about this broken system and the damage it's doing to US interests. Reform is an absolute necessity but we're so far away from any real change that I almost (not quite) feel like even discussing it is a complete waste of time.

I socialize these stories everywhere I can but very few people I know show much interest in them. I don't think most people even care about or are aware of how much damage this system causes for US businesses.

I suppose I should have learned that my expectations of common sense and reasonable solutions to obvious problems are too much for the idiots known as Congresspeople and Senators in the USA. What a joke.

History will look back on our times and call us the most corrupt people ever documented in the history of mankind.]]>Re: Re: Good reason for judicial reformhttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110804/12515315394/our-response-to-arthur-alan-wolks-threat-to-sue-us.shtml#c722
Thu, 4 Aug 2011 15:28:30 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110804/12515315394/our-response-to-arthur-alan-wolks-threat-to-sue-us.shtml#c722Re: Fan Mailhttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110804/12515315394/our-response-to-arthur-alan-wolks-threat-to-sue-us.shtml#c681
Thu, 4 Aug 2011 15:25:41 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110804/12515315394/our-response-to-arthur-alan-wolks-threat-to-sue-us.shtml#c681Is name-calling defamation?https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110804/12515315394/our-response-to-arthur-alan-wolks-threat-to-sue-us.shtml#c667
Thu, 4 Aug 2011 15:23:49 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110804/12515315394/our-response-to-arthur-alan-wolks-threat-to-sue-us.shtml#c667 In any case, I hardly need to go so far as to call Mr. Wolk anything. He's apparently doing his best to call down the power of all the interwebs upon his own tiny head. One has to wonder what sort of rose-colored lens he looks through when viewing his own actions because, as the readers of this site are well aware, he will likely soon start to suffer the ill effects of his own actions, and I suspect he may regret them very soon.]]>Re: Having been caught out with the "byline" trick,https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110707/23055015003/secret-service-descends-artist-mildly-creepy-public-photography.shtml#c1128
Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:54:22 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110707/23055015003/secret-service-descends-artist-mildly-creepy-public-photography.shtml#c1128 Your excuse is pathetic, as is your attempted defense of Apple. They deserve every bit of criticism they receive, and more IMHO.]]>I'm glad to see you guys covering thishttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101229/15592412458/does-google-design-adsense-contract-so-youre-almost-forced-to-break-its-terms.shtml#c160
Thu, 30 Dec 2010 19:02:05 PSThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101229/15592412458/does-google-design-adsense-contract-so-youre-almost-forced-to-break-its-terms.shtml#c160 Lame, Google... what happened to "Don't be Evil?"]]>Re:https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101219/22155912331/look-rupert-murdochs-history-internet-failures.shtml#c90
Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:18:32 PSThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101219/22155912331/look-rupert-murdochs-history-internet-failures.shtml#c90 You would love to fail like him, huh? Will you still feel that way in 20 years when his empire has crumbled around him and his failures have bankrupted his family? Would you love to be remembered as a dinosaur of a previous age who utterly failed to respond to the world changing around him? Would you love to be the 'riches to rags' failure story of the 21st century?

All of these things will happen, and Rupert Murdoch will be viewed as a total, complete failure. History will not be kind to him, not would it be to you, if you were worth remembering.]]>The US Press abandoned its responsibility...https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101129/03175512039/mainstream-press-seems-to-think-fighting-civil-liberties-is-childish.shtml#c448
Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:29:45 PSThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101129/03175512039/mainstream-press-seems-to-think-fighting-civil-liberties-is-childish.shtml#c448 Murrow has been turning over in his grave ever since the press started giving government a free pass on eroding our civil rights.]]>Re: Razors as Metaphorhttps://www.techdirt.com/blog/entrepreneurs/articles/20100915/23234611035/the-myth-of-razors-and-razor-blades.shtml#c467
Sat, 18 Sep 2010 22:30:56 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/blog/entrepreneurs/articles/20100915/23234611035/the-myth-of-razors-and-razor-blades.shtml#c467Re:https://www.techdirt.com/blog/entrepreneurs/articles/20100915/23234611035/the-myth-of-razors-and-razor-blades.shtml#c449
Sat, 18 Sep 2010 22:28:53 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/blog/entrepreneurs/articles/20100915/23234611035/the-myth-of-razors-and-razor-blades.shtml#c449 I too can make a blade last six months or so. Check out this link on sharpening your used, dull blades. It really works; I do it every week and have not bought blades for about two years.

Disposable razors are a total rip-off. I smile to myself every time I sharpen one of mine, knowing Gillette just lost a sale.]]>They're terrifiedhttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100618/1135199878.shtml#c68
Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:28:04 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100618/1135199878.shtml#c68 I doubt the interns at the Canadian legislature (Parliament? I am unfortunately ignorant about Canadian government setup) actually read all those letters word-for-word anyway, but it just shows you that the industry groups who support the CA-DMCA are well aware that the arguments against the bill are logical and sensible, while the arguments in favor of the proposed law are anything but sensible, fair, or reasonable.]]>Re: Re: MIKE one quick question ....https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100319/0353418628.shtml#c426
Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:28:15 PDThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100319/0353418628.shtml#c426 It should be intellectualproperty@omb.eop.gov

Cheers]]>I'm an avid reader...https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100218/0029098218.shtml#c1
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:09:18 PSThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100218/0029098218.shtml#c1 I haven't purchased a major-label CD or DVD for almost ten years. I got so fed up with the **AA groups and their anti-consumer practices that I decided I wouldn't support their efforts. I have bought a few CDs from indy bands on small labels or who produce their own CDs, but that's it. I am still carrying on with this boycott and will keep it up until the music labels and movie industry come to their senses.

To date, I've been purchasing my ebooks legally. I think they're too expensive, but the book publishers haven't acted like complete assholes just yet... but I certainly see it coming.

I will stop purchasing my ebooks legally if the publishers keep this shit up. As a digital-age consumer, I am not stupid and know full-well where I can acquire ebooks for free. I haven't done so yet, but if the publishers choose to pursue a similar anti-consumer path like the music and movie labels/publishers have, then I will have no problem with boycotting them also.

Book publishers, I hope you're listening. Don't make the same stupid mistakes that the RIAA and MPAA members have done. You'll regret it. I know I'm not alone.]]>Smart citizens?https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100217/2335238217.shtml#c108
Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:45:45 PSThttps://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100217/2335238217.shtml#c108 I would love it if I were mistaken, but I am a cynic.]]>